Improvement in grain-hullers



J. H. THOMPSON.

Grain Huller.

Patented June. 20 1865.

NITED STATES JAMES H. THOMPSON, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEM ENT m GRAlN HULLERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 48,326, dated June 20,1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. THOMPSON, of Hobo'ken, in the county ofHudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Machinefor Hulling Grain; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable any personskilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a vertical central section of my invention, as indicated bythe line as m, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is'a plan or top view of the same. Fig. 3is a detached end view or inverted plan of the rotary huller pertainingto the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention consists in theemployment or use of a rotary hullercomposed of one or more frustums of cones placed or arranged within aconical shell and corrugated or fluted and otherwise constructed, asherein set l'orth,whereby the hulls or cuticles may be removed fromgrain very expeditiously and without breaking or crushing the same, asattrition produced bythe rubbing of the grains in contact with eachother is depended upon for performing the work, and not the directcontact of moving surfaces with the grains-such as corrugated plates andthe like, hitherto employed.

The invention is applicable to the hulling of various kinds of grain,such as, coffee, rice, 85c.

A represents a framing, which may be constructed of either wood or metaland of any proper form to support the working parts of the machine.

B is acase of cast-iron, and of conical form, placed in an invertedposition in the framing A, as shown in Fig. ,1, and O is a shaft whichpasses vertically and centrally through the case B, and has its lowerend stepped at a, said step being secured to the lower end of the caseB. The upper part of the shaft 0 has its bearings in a cross-bar, b,which extends centrally across the upper end of the case and has itsends attached to the same by screws 1). On this shaft 0 there are placedand secured, by keys or otherwise, oneor morefrustums ofcones,D. Threeof them are represented in the drawings and varying in size, the upperone being the larg est, the next one below somewhat smaller, andthelowest one still smaller, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The lower end ofeach part or frustum D is near the inner surface of the case B, a spacebeing allowed between of sufficient width to admit of the passage of asingle grain all around the lower end of each part or frustum D. At theupper end of each part or frustum D there is a much wider space to admitof several grains being side by side, as will be seen by referring toFig. 1. The lower end of each part or frustum D is circular andconcentric with the case B, but their upper parts do not form a perfectcircle. Each has three prominences or projections, c, at its upper end,as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and these prominences gradually loosethemselves as they proceed downward and are entirely lost at the bottomof each part D. Each part D is fluted spirally, as shown at a in Fig. 1,and to the upper surface of the upper part, D, there is attached acircular plate, E, which fits snugly in the upper part of the case B,but is allowed to rotate within. The three parts or frustums D form ahuller, which is driven by means of a bevelpinion, F, on a horizontalshaft, G, on the upper part of the framing A, and a bevel-wheel, H, onthe upper part of the shaft 0, into which the pinion F gears. The shaftG may be driven by any convenient power.

I is a feed-spout, which leads from a hopper containing the grain to behulled into the up per part of the case B.

As the huller is rotated it performs two functions, to wit: It feedsdownward by means of the spiral fluted projections a", and it serves tomove the kernels or grains one past the other, keeping the same inmotion, and removin g the hulls therefrom by the attrition caused by thecontact of one grain with another. The kernels or grains as they passdown are gradually restricted in space until they reach the lower end ofthe upper part or frustnm, D, of the huller, where the width of thespace is about equal to the thickness of an individual kernel or grain.Thus the kernels or grains are subjected to a consecutive number ofoperations corresponding to the number of the parts or frustums D, andthe prominences or projections e on said parts communicate an intermittent pressure to the kernels or grains, preventing them fromhaving a circular mo tion with the huller; and causing them to be rubbedone against the other in the most efficient manner to remove the hullsor cuticles. The hulled grain is discharged through spouts or openings12* at the bottom of the case, and these openings may be provided withgates to regulate the discharge, and thereby subject the grain to theaction of the huller for a greater or less period of time, ascircumstances may require.

I do not confine myself to the spiral flutes, for longitudinal or otherones may be nsed, as the grain will have a tendency to settle in thecaseby its own gravity, and the flutes, whether spiral or otherwise,will have a tendency to move the grain within the case; but I prefer thespiral flutes, as the assistance to the downward feed is an advantage.

The advantages of this machine are as follows: In consequence of thegrain being held in masses between the two cones and the easing, whileat the same time it is being forced down by the form of the innercylinder into a continued diminishing space until it is delivered at thebottom, the inventor is enabled to give it more pressure than in anyother machine, which gives the advantage of not only being certain ofthoroughly cleaning the grains, but at the same time gives them all theluster necessary, which is done by no other machine, there always beinga second machine for this purpose. 1 also claim to do more work than anyother machine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- Thecombination of the inverted fluted conic frustum D, conical case B, andlateral projections or promi'nences 0 c c, all constructed and grrangedand operating substantially as speci- J. H. THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

GILBERT H. BANKER, GEo. W. REED.

